Abstract
This research aims to reveal the metaphorical perceptions of secondary school teachers about gifted students. The study group of the research consists of 170 secondary school teachers working in secondary schools in Buca district of Izmir province in the 2021-2022 academic year. Qualitative research method was used in the research. The phenomenology design was used as the design of the research. The data used in the research were collected through a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. According to the research findings, secondary school teachers produced 123 different metaphors for gifted students. Valid metaphors were analyzed with the content analysis method. According to the results of the analysis, the metaphors reflecting the perceptions of the secondary school teachers about the gifted students were gathered under 12 different conceptual categories. It has been revealed that the majority of secondary school teachers have positive perceptions about gifted students, and metaphors with negative perceptions are grouped under the category of "individual in need of social support". In the study, it was also determined that the metaphors produced by male and female teachers showed different distributions. Female teachers see gifted students as individuals who need special education the most. Male teachers, on the other hand, perceive gifted students as individuals with the highest cognitive performance. In the study, it was determined that the metaphors produced by teachers in different branches showed different distributions from each other. In order to obtain accurate and more qualified information about gifted students, teachers can be given training on special education and gifted students. In this sense, psycho-educational programs can be organized for teachers.